


not shy of a spark

by asamisaht0



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, band au for the lovely people in the zutara supremacy gc, but it's fine it's all fake anyways, i kinda stretched canon a little to fit some things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25584520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamisaht0/pseuds/asamisaht0
Summary: I'm going back to 505If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute driveIn my imagination you're waiting, lying on your sideWith your hands between your thighs
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	not shy of a spark

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the Zutara Supremacy groupchat on Twitter! Without them this entire concept wouldn't exist. I love y'all.

“You’re still in the wrong key. Honestly, Zuko, did you even practice?” Azula snapped, interrupting their song once again. “You wanted to be lead so bad, but you can't even get the key right? I told you it was a bad idea.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “I didn’t even get the first line in! How could you tell what key I was in?”

“A real musician would know from the first note. I gave you time to catch on and fix it, and you didn’t.”

A small part in the back of his mind warned Zuko that he was being baited. Maybe at another time, he wouldn’t have fell for it. But they had been practicing for hours now, and their first paid gig was right around the corner, and Zuko’s fingers were starting to hurt where he held his guitar, and Azula wouldn’t _shut the fuck up_ -

-so he snapped.

“What do you mean, ‘real musician’?” he asked. He registered Ty Lee and Mai sharing a glance behind Azula’s back.

Azula grinned. She had him right where she wanted him. How does she do that so easily?

“Listen, Zu-zu,”

“Don’t call me that.”

“-all I’m saying is that sometimes, you can’t just overcompensate to make up for talent. Sometimes,” she continued, delicately placing her guitar on its stand, “talent is just something you have to be born with.”

Her manicured nails tapped the wood on her guitar’s neck. Zuko could feel his knuckles tightening around his own guitar. He knew, he _knew_ what she was getting at. All he had to do was ignore her. She does this on purpose, she riles him up in that way that only she knows how to do.

Ty Lee cleared her throat daintily, but pointedly. She twirled a drumstick around her fingers, something she tended to do when she was nervous. Knowing how heated his arguments with Azula can get, Ty Lee has every right to be nervous right now.

“Maybe we should take a little break…..?” she questioned. Zuko wondered if she ever got tired of playing the peacekeeper. Especially when Zuko didn’t feel like making peace very much right now.

Azula pushed further, pretending not to hear Ty Lee.

“You know, Dad said something similar the last time I visited him.”

The air in the room seemed to crackle with electricity. Ty Lee’s drumstick had gone still, and even Mai’s eyes widened slightly.

Zuko felt his face drop, felt his mouth twist into an inhumane scowl. Azula’s smirk dropped for a split second. He could practically see her calculating, wondering if she went too far this time.

And now he was yelling.

“What the _fuck_ , Azula?”

Her face was deceptively blank.

“Why would you even-” he took a breath, realizing this is exactly what she wanted. He lowered his voice, though his tone stayed the same. “That was low, even for you.” Zuko closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He made a decision.

“You know what? Fuck it. I’m out.” He began packing up his instrument matter-of-factly.

Zuko heard Ty Lee's soft gasp, felt Mai's unreadable eyes on him. He saw Azula's lips start to curl into a smirk, before she forced a scowl and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Stop being such a drama queen, Zu-zu. Just do better next time, that's all I'm asking-"

" _Shut up_ , Azula!" he barked. "I'm done hearing you complain. I'm the one that started this band but somehow, I'm the one that feels unwanted here. So fine. You have the girl group you always wanted."

Zuko picked up his guitar and stormed off. He ripped open the door with his free hand, and could’ve sworn he heard a soft chuckle before he let it slam behind him.

* * *

Katara was in a mood.

The type of mood, she decided, could only be fixed with an iced chai latte from her favorite shop. The Jasmine Dragon Tea Co. was all the way on the other side of town, but the trek was worth it for the perfect cup of tea. She shifted the stack of flyers in her hand and began the walk, making sure to post the flyers every few blocks. Sure, Sokka was pissing her off right now, but she still wanted his band to succeed.

When Katara arrived, the tea shop was busier than normal. Instead of jumping in line immediately, Katara made her way to the bulletin board above the condiment station, intending to put up a flyer for the Boomeraangs. While she fussed with the pushpins, she heard someone shuffle up behind her. She turned to see the shop owner, Iroh (but he told everyone to call him Uncle) smiling at her flyer.

“In search of a guitar player? My nephew plays guitar, maybe you’ve met him?”

Something about Uncle’s constant positive energy just seemed to pull the bad mood right out of Katara. She smiled back.

“I didn’t know you had a nephew! Is he any good?”

“Oh he’s one of the best! It just so happens that he is in need of a band, as of this afternoon! If you want, I think he’s still sulking somewhere in the back. I’ll make your regular while you talk!”

Uncle said, smoothly ushering Katara behind the counter, ignoring her attempts to pay.

“Just through that door! Tell him I sent you!”

By the time Katara looked back, Uncle had disappeared among the espresso machines. She furrowed her brow and pushed through the door, flyer in hand-

-and stopped.

Unfortunately, she _did_ recognize the person occupying the small break room. He looked up as she walked in, eyes flickering to the flyer she was now crumpling up in her hand.

His eyes narrowed. “You.”

And just like that, her mood was back.

" _You're_ Uncle's nephew?"

"He's not even your uncle!"

“Oh, you’re absolutely not allowed in our band.”

“What? Who said I wanted to be in your band?”

“Your uncle! He said you got kicked out of your old one, which makes a lot of sense now.”

“I didn’t get kicked out! I quit!” He nearly growled.

"Oh, sure." She rolled her eyes. "You spent so much time trying to sabotage our band last year at the Solstice Fest, just to turn around and quit? I'm not buying it."

He ran a hand through his hair angrily. "That wasn't even for me! My sister wanted me to do it!"

"Don't even get me started on your crazy ass sister."

He opened his mouth, then shut it. "We're on the same page there," he muttered, so quietly she might have imagined it.

As if on cue, Uncle burst through the door, holding the iced chai latte of Katara's dreams. She accepted it graciously, managing to pretend Zuko didn’t exist for just a moment so that she could enjoy that, honestly, therapeutic first sip.

Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, her favorite person was still related to her least favorite person. Katara mentally cursed whatever deity decided that Zuko and Azula were blood relatives with Uncle.

“Zuko, did you tell this young lady how good you are at playing guitar?”

Zuko put his face in his hands.

“I was actually just heading out, Uncle! Thanks again for the tea.” She paused in the doorway, glancing back at Zuko. She sighed.

“Auditions are tomorrow at 1. You’ll need to play scales and learn one of the Boomeraang’s songs.” She turned and rushed out, before Zuko could say something stupid and ruin it.

* * *

Uncle bent down to pick up the crumpled flyer. “So how exactly did you two meet again, nephew?”


End file.
